Food Grating Device And Improved Hinge Mechanism

ABSTRACT

The present invention comprises a hinge device. The hinge device is located within a housing, and may comprise a rotating drum mounted on a hinge bar. The rotating drum is slidable between a first, locked position and a second, unlocked position, and also rotatable with respect to the housing. The hinge device may also comprise a engagement wall positioned within the housing and having a shelf and at least one locking slot. A locking member may be formed on the rotating drum and may cooperate with the engagement wall when the rotating drum is in the first, locked position to prevent the rotating drum from rotating with respect to the housing. A biasing spring may be located within the housing, which biases the rotating drum toward the first, locked position.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This invention is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/424,694 filed on Jun. 16, 2006, which claims the priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/691,369 filed on Jun. 17, 2005.These prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus for grating food products as wellas a hinge mechanism to connect arms of an apparatus in multiple fixedpositions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for grating food products, such as cheese, is disclosedherein. The apparatus comprises a pair of arms that are fixable indifferent positions to enable the apparatus to be easily used indifferent manners, and to be easily collapsed into a storage position.An improved hinge mechanism that may be used in connection with otherdevices is also disclosed. The details of this invention are set forthbelow in connection with the detailed description of the embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary cheese grater in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention, with the handle in afirst, closed position.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the cheese grater of FIG. 1, with thehandle in a second position.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the cheese grater of FIG. 1, with thenhandle in a third position.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the cheese grate of FIG. 1, withportions of the housing removed to show the hinge mechanism, and withthe handle in the first closed position and the hinge mechanism in thelocked position.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 4, with the hinge mechanismmoved to the rotating position.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the cheese grater along the lines6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the presentinvention along the lines 7-7 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the second cap along lines 8-8 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the first end cap along lines 9-9 in FIG.1.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the engagement wall along lines10-10 in FIG. 5 with the first cap removed.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the engagement wall similar to FIG.10, but with the first cap attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-7 depict an exemplary food grater 12 having a main body member14 and handle member 16 connected by means of hinge assembly 10. In theembodiment depicted, main body member 14 has a food grating surface 18attached thereto. Handle member 16 comprises gripping portion 20, neckportion 15 and rotating drum 50. Indented area 22 is formed on grippingportion 20 for ease of handling, as the user may place a thumb therewhen holding the gripping portion 20.

Grater 12 has at least three different positions, which are achieved bythe rotation of handle member 16 through the hinge mechanism 10 to bedescribed below. The first, or closed, position is depicted in FIG. 1,where handle member 16 is adjacent the back surface of grating surface18. This permits grater 12 to be stored without taking up a significantamount of space. The second position is shown in FIG. 2, where handlemember 16 is at a sufficient angle to main body member 14 to permitgrater 12 to stand on its own on a table, plate or other surface. Theuser can still hold grater 12 by holding the gripping portion 20 ofhandle member 16 in this configuration. The third position is shown inFIG. 3, where handle member 16 is extended parallel to main body member14 and grating surface 18; this configuration is particularly helpful ifthe user wishes to grate the food product into a larger bowl or otherarea.

It will be appreciated by those in the art that the figures depict anexemplary embodiment rather than a limiting one. For example, thisapparatus is described as a food grater but other applications arepossible. Grating surface 18 may also be removably attached to permitdifferent grating or slicing surfaces to be used with the apparatus, andhandle member 16 may comprise different shapes than gripping portion 20.Moreover, hinge assembly 10 has many applications and is not limited toapplications such as food grater 12, nor is it limited to use withfood-related utensils, as there are industrial applications for suchassemblies.

Curved portion 25, having a first end 26 and a second end 28, is formedat one end of main body member 14. Cavity 36 is formed within curvedportion 25. Caps 31 and 32 are removably secured to curved portion 25proximate to first end 26 and second end 28, respectively. Cap 31comprises circular element 91, while cap 32 comprises circular element92.

Groove 35 is formed between first end 26 and cap 31 on the one side, andsecond end 28 and cap 32 on the other side. Groove 35 is sized toaccommodate neck portion 15 to permit handle member 16 to move betweenthe first, second and third positions as described herein.

In the embodiment depicted, curved portion 25 is integrally formed aspart of main body member 14; other means of securing curved portion 25to main body member 14 are within the scope of the invention. Similarly,caps 31 and 32 are removably secured to curved portion 25 by means ofscrews (not shown) threaded into openings 39; covers (not shown) may beused to enclose the screws to provide a smooth outer surface of caps 31and 32. It will be understood that caps 31 and 32 may be removablysecured by other means such as snaps, a tongue-in-groove arrangement,etc. It will also be appreciated that the depicted embodiment isexemplary only, rather than limiting, and it is within the scope of thepresent invention that curved portion 25 and caps 31 and 32 may bereplaced by a number of variations.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, hinge assembly 10 comprises first collar 41located in cavity 36 near first end 26 and second collar 42 located incavity 36 near second end 28. Hinge bar 43 comprises a first end 44,which is secured within first collar 41, and a second end 45, which issecured within second collar 42.

Rotating drum 50, having a drum first end 51 and a drum second end 52,may be an integral part of handle 16 and is mounted on hinge bar 43.Biasing spring 60 is located on hinge bar 43 between drum second end 52and second collar 42. As can be seen by a comparison of FIGS. 4 and 5,rotating drum 50 (and therefore handle member 16) is slidably mounted onhinge bar 43 and is movable between a first, locked position shown inFIG. 4, and a second, rotatable position shown in FIG. 5. Movingrotating drum 50 to the second, rotatable position enables the user torotate neck portion 15 of handle member 16 through groove 35 to movehandle member 16 to the different operating positions described herein.Biasing spring 60 is positioned such that it biases rotating drum 50 tothe first, locked position.

A locking member 55 is formed on drum first end 51. As shown, forexample, in FIG. 5, locking member 55 comprises a body portion 62 andend portions 63. In the depicted embodiment, body portion 62 is formedabout hinge bar 43. Because the width of body portion 62 is less thanthe diameter of hinge bar 43, body portion 62 appears to be two separatepieces. It will be appreciated by those in the art that the depictedembodiment of locking member 55 is exemplary rather than limiting. Forexample, the width of body portion 62 may be greater than the diameterof hinge bar 43. Also, locking member 55 may solely comprise bodyportion 62, and not end portions 63, or solely comprise end portions 63and not body portion 62. Finally, as described below, when cap 31 isattached to curved portion 25, locking member 55 need not extend to bothsides of hinge bar 43.

As seen in FIG. 5, an engagement wall 70 is located within cavity 36proximate to drum first end 51. As seen in FIG. 11, engagement wall 70comprises at least two locking slots, 75 and 81. Locking member 55 maycooperate with either locking slot 75 in the second rotating position(as described in detail below) or slot 81 in the first or third rotatingpositions (as described in detail below). The cooperation of lockingmember 55 and either slot 75 or 81 will prevent rotating drum 50 fromrotating about hinge bar 43. It will be obvious that multiple lockingslots may be formed within engagement wall 70, where each locking slotwill cooperate with locking member 55 to prevent the rotation ofrotating drum 50.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 10, engagement wall 70 may be comprised oftwo halves, where the bottom half 79 is integrally formed from curveportion 25, and the top half 77 is integrally formed from cap 31. Bottomhalf 79 and top half 77 are positioned such that they form engagementwall 70.

In order for food grating device 12 to operate, a force that issufficient to overcome the force supplied by biasing spring 60 isapplied, to the left as depicted in FIG. 5, to rotating drum 50 throughhandle member 16. In use, a user will supply this force by pressing onthe end portion formed by cap 32 and end 26 with his or her thumb whilegrasping handle 16. This force slides rotating drum 50 to the second,rotatable position, where rotating drum 50 is free to rotate about hingebar 43. While rotating drum 50 is in the second, unlocked position, theuser rotates handle member 16 slightly toward the second rotatingposition, likewise revolving rotating drum 50 toward the second rotatingposition, as depicted in FIG. 6. When locking member 55 is no longeraligned with shelf 73, the force on handle 20 is removed. The force frombiasing spring 60 will urge rotating drum 50 toward first slidingposition 54, which will cause locking member 55 to abut face 74 ofengagement wall 70.

As the user rotates handle member 16, and consequently rotating drum 50,toward the second rotating position, locking member 55 will slide alongface 74 until it aligns with locking slot 75. When locking member 55aligns with locking slot 75, spring 60 will urge locking member 55 toengage and cooperate with locking slot 75, allowing rotating drum 50 toreturn to the first, locked sliding position. As in the first rotatingposition, when rotating drum 50 is in the second rotating position, thecooperation of locking member 55 and locking slot 75 will preventrotating drum 50 from rotating about hinge bar 43.

When the user once again supplies a sufficient force to rotating drum 50through handle member 16 (again by pressing on cap 32 while graspinghandle 16), rotating drum 50 slides to the second, unlocked position,where rotating drum 50 is again free to rotate about hinge bar 43. Whilerotating drum 50 is in this second unlocked position, the user slightlyrotates handle 16 toward the third rotating position, as shown in FIG.7. When locking member 55 is no longer aligned with locking slot 75, theforce on handle member 16 is removed. The force from biasing spring 60will again urge rotating drum 50 toward the first, locked slidingposition, which will cause locking member 55 to abut face 74.

As rotating drum 50 continues to rotate, locking member 55 will slidealong face 74 until it once again aligns with shelf 73, at which timebiasing spring 60 will urge rotating drum 50 to return to first, lockedsliding position, where shelf 73 and locking member 55 once againcooperate to prevent rotating drum 50 from rotating about hinge bar 43.

It will be appreciated by those in the art that the use of any of therotating positions is optional and not necessary for the use of thepresent invention. By way of example, rotating drum 50, while in thesecond unlocked position, may be rotated from the first rotatingposition to slightly past the second rotating position before the forceacting on handle member 16 is removed. In this way, rotating drum 50 maybe rotated from the first rotating position directly to the thirdrotating position.

It will also be appreciated that more than one locking slot may beformed in engagement wall 70. Because any additional locking slots willcooperate with locking member 55 in the same way as locking slot 75, thenumber of additional locking slots would allow rotating drum 50 torotate between the same number of additional rotating positions.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described indetail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alternatives to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, theparticular arrangements of the food grating device and hinge disclosedare meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope ofthe invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appendedclaims and any equivalents thereof.

1. A hinge assembly for use with a first and a second member rotatablewith respect to one another, the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge barengaged to the first member; a drum rotatably and slidably disposed onthe hinge bar, the drum comprising a first end and a second end andslidable along the hinge bar between a first, locked position and asecond, unlocked position; a locking member located on the first end ofthe rotating cylinder; a locking wall disposed within the hinge assemblyproximate to the first end of drum, the locking wall comprising at leastone locking slot, and wherein the locking member engages the at leastone locking slot when the drum is in the first position, preventing thedrum from rotating about the hinge bar; and a spring engaged to thesecond end of the drum to bias the drum to the first, locked position.2. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking wallcomprises a plurality of locking slots, and wherein the locking memberengages one of the locking slots when the drum is in the first position,preventing the drum from rotating about the hinge bar.
 3. The hingeassembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second member is engagedto the drum.
 4. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein thedrum is integrally formed from the second member.
 5. The hinge assemblyas set forth in claim 1, wherein the first member comprises a foodgrating surface and the second member comprises a handle.
 6. The hingeassembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking member comprises afirst portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion ispositioned on the opposite side of the hinge bar from the first portion.7. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking wallabuts the first surface of the drum when the drum is in the first,locked position.
 8. A hinge assembly comprising: a housing; a rotatingdrum comprising a first end and a second end, the rotating drum beingpositioned at least partially within the housing and slidable between afirst and a second position, and rotatable with respect to the housing;a locking wall disposed at least partially in the housing and positionedproximate to the first end of the rotating drum, the locking wallcomprising at least one locking slot; a locking member formed on thefirst end of the rotating drum, wherein the locking member engages theat least one locking slot when the rotating drum is in the firstposition, preventing the rotating drum from rotating.
 9. The hingeassembly as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a hinge bardisposed within the housing, wherein the rotating drum is slidably androtatably disposed on the hinge bar.
 10. The hinge assembly as set forthin claim 9, further comprising a biasing spring disposed within thehousing and engaged to the rotating drum, wherein the biasing springbiases the rotating drum to the first position.
 11. The hinge assemblyas set forth in claim 8, wherein the locking wall comprises a pluralityof locking slots, wherein the locking member engages at least one of thelocking slots when the rotating drum is in the first position,preventing the rotating drum from rotating.
 12. The hinge assembly asset forth in claim 8, wherein a first member is engaged to and extendsfrom the housing.
 13. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 12,wherein the first member is integrally formed with the housing.
 14. Thehinge assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein a second member isengaged to the rotating drum.
 15. The hinge assembly as set forth inclaim 8, further comprising a first and a second cap, wherein the firstand the second caps are engaged to the housing.
 16. The hinge assemblyas set forth in claim 15, wherein the locking wall comprises a firstportion, integrally formed with the first cap, and a second portion,integrally formed with the housing.
 17. A hinge assembly for use inconnecting a handle to a body member in multiple operative positions,the hinge assembly comprising: a hinge bar engaged to the body memberand positioned within a cavity formed in the body member; a rotatingdrum having a first end and a second end, the rotating drum rotatablyand slidably mounted on the hinge bar, the rotating drum slidablebetween a first sliding position and a second sliding position androtatable between a first locked position, a second locked position anda third locked position; a locking member formed on the first end of therotating drum; an engagement wall positioned within the cavity,proximate to the first end of the rotating drum and comprising a shelfand a locking slot, wherein, when the rotating drum is in the firstsliding position, the shelf cooperates with the locking member toselectively lock the rotating drum in either the first or third lockedpositions or, alternatively, the locking slot cooperates with thelocking member to selectively lock the rotating drum in the secondlocked position.
 18. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 17,further comprising a biasing spring engaged to the rotating drum,wherein the biasing spring biases the rotating drum toward the firstsliding position.
 19. A hinge assembly comprising: a housing; a firstmember engaged to and extending from the housing; a hinge bar disposedwithin the housing; a rotating drum positioned at least partially withinthe housing, the rotating drum disposed on the hinge bar and comprisinga first end and a second end and slidable between a first position and asecond position, and rotatable about the hinge bar; a second memberengaged to and extending from the rotating drum; a locking wallpositioned proximate to the first end of the rotating cylinder and atleast partially within the housing, the locking wall comprising at leastone locking slot; and a locking member formed on the first end of therotating cylinder, wherein the locking member engages the at least onelocking slot when the rotating cylinder is in the first position,preventing the rotating cylinder from rotating.
 20. The hinge assemblyas set forth in claim 19, wherein the first member is integrally formedfrom the housing and the second member is integrally formed from therotating cylinder.
 21. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 19,further comprising a biasing spring engaged to the rotating cylinder,wherein the biasing spring biases the rotating cylinder to the firstposition.
 22. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 19, furthercomprising a first cap, wherein the first cap is engaged to the housing.23. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 22, wherein the lockingwall comprises a top half, integrally formed from the first cap, and abottom half, integrally formed from the housing.